The Ring Bearer
by TesterTeaser
Summary: At the death of an elf named Edleneth, something happens that wasn't according to plan.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Lord of the Rings. I only own Edleneth and any other characters I make up along the way, as well as the twists I put into the basic story. For the most part all speech in this chapter is Elvish.**

"Edleneth!" Arwen called. Her best friend was hiding and they were scheduled to search for Aragorn and Frodo soon. "This is no time for games!"

"Life is a game," Edleneth jumped down from a tree. "It flies by too fast to take seriously."

"Edleneth, we are elves," Arwen argued, "We live practically forever!" They began to walk toward the stables.

"We can still die," Edleneth told her dark-haired friend, "And you, my friend, can choose to give up your immortality."

"I suppose," Arwen replied, "But you are a warrior. You know how to defend yourself."

"Even the mightiest can be slain," Edleneth responded, "And I am destined to die."

"Just because there is a prophecy concerning your death doesn't mean you will die," Arwen disagreed.

"My body will be taken by someone else," Edleneth said, and recited:

'_Edleneth the golden-haired_

_With eyes of sapphire blue_

_In a foreign land of rock_

_By Orkish blade will pass away._

_Edleneth of Rivendell_

_A warrior will die,_

_And though dead, she will awake_

_But only by an outside force._

_The last breath of Edleneth,_

_Unfinished as the sea_

_By another will be done_

_And into her their soul will go.'_

"One line says, '_And though dead, she will awake,_'" Arwen quoted, "Doesn't that mean you will live again?"

"_But only by an outside force,_" Edleneth told her friend, "Besides, it's not done yet."

"If you are so afraid of death, why don't you sail to the West?" Arwen asked.

"I am not afraid of death," Edleneth growled, "I want to help Middle-Earth while I can."

"You are so stubborn," Arwen stated. Edleneth grinned.

"Indeed she is," a voice said behind them, causing both girls to jump.

"Elrohir!" Arwen yelped as her brother fell into step with them.

"Wait, a minute, you are never without-" Edleneth was cut off as Elladan jumped down from a tree.

"Can't we walk with you? We are searching as well," Elladan said.

"How many are going?" Edleneth asked curiously.

"Just five of us," Elrohir responded.

"Glorfindel is going as well," Elladan explained. Arwen and Edleneth nodded.

"I think it would have made sense if nine went. One for each Nazgul," Arwen stated.

"That would have made sense, but only five volunteered," Elrohir told them.

"Besides," Elladan joked, "Edleneth counts for two people!"

Edleneth glared at him, before swiftly punching his arm. "I haven't died yet, and if you say anything more I'll make sure you die first." Elladan only grinned, which caused Edleneth to start laughing. She could never stay angry with Elladan or Elrohir for long. They reached the stables and mounted their horses.

"May the Valar protect you," Edleneth said, and added when Arwen smiled, "I'm going to find them first!" Arwen shook her head and they spurred their horses in different directions.

A day passed by uneventfully. The next day however, an arrow whizzed past Edleneth's head. Turning her horse around, Edleneth saw that a group of orcs was headed her way. She quickly pulled out her bow and notched an arrow. Letting it fly, she grinned as it struck an orc in the forehead. Edleneth sent more and more arrows at the orcs, but soon they were too close. Drawing her twin daggers, she slashed at the orcs, not paying much mind when one of their swords nicked her arm.

After killing most of the orcs and sending the rest running, Edleneth tended to her scrapes and injuries. They were few in number, and thankfully, none were poisoned. She urged her horse on, and continued the search.

Lord Elrond had said to search for five days and if they were not found, to return to Rivendell in the hopes that one of the other elves found them. Edleneth didn't want to let him down, and saw the search as more of a competition than a race against the enemy. She had to beat Arwen at least, but her best friend was a fast rider and could cover more ground in five days than Edleneth.

After another day, Edleneth heard a Nazgul screech, and decided to follow the sound. She could take on nine Ring-Wraiths any day. It was nightfall when she saw Aragorn and a small hobbit searching for athelas, it seemed. She stayed hidden, planning to sneak up on Aragorn, but someone beat her to it.

"What's this, a Ranger, caught off his guard?" Arwen teased Aragorn, holding her blade at his neck.

Upset, Edleneth snuck out of her bush and held her daggers at Arwen's neck. "Ruining your moment?"


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Lord of the Rings. I only own Edleneth and any other characters I make up along the way, as well as the twists I put into the basic story. Elvish will be in italics.**

Aragorn quickly led Arwen and Edleneth to where he and Frodo, plus three other hobbits, had made camp. When they got there, Arwen ran to Frodo's side, since she was better with herbs, while Edleneth held their horses' reigns. _"Frodo,_" Arwen called to the hobbit, _"I am Arwen. I have come to help you. Come back to the light." _Aragorn promptly began to chew some _athelas _leaves.

One of Frodo's hobbit friends whispered: "Who are they?" He had curly brown hair and blue eyes.

Edleneth ignored them and focused on Frodo, until another hobbit, the one with blond hair and brown eyes, spoke. "They're elves!" Edleneth rolled her eyes.

"He's fading," Arwen turned to Aragorn and Edleneth, pulling up Frodo's shirt to reveal a nasty gash. Aragorn quickly came to her aid with the chewed-up _athelas_. He put it in the wound, causing Frodo to gasp loudly. "He's not going to last," Arwen informed them, "We must get him to my father." Edleneth nodded in agreement.

Aragorn helped Arwen get Frodo upon her horse, "We've been searching for you for two days," Edleneth told Aragorn.

"Where are you taking him?" The first hobbit asked.

"There are five Wraiths behind you," Arwen continued, "Where the other four are I do not know."

"I don't either," Edleneth stated.

"_Stay with the Hobbits. I will send horses back for you,"_ Aragorn instructed.

"_I am the faster rider,"_ Arwen argued,"_I will take him."_

Edleneth mounted her horse. _"I can try to cause a distraction,"_ she said. Arwen smiled at Edleneth, who smiled in return.

Aragorn shook his head. _"The road is too dangerous,"_ he looked at Arwen, obviously worried.

"What are they saying?" Another hobbit, this one with curly blond hair and blue eyes asked.

"_Frodo is dying. If I can get him across the river, the power of my people will protect him," _Arwen insisted as she mounted her horse, "I do not fear them."

"_As you wish,"_ Aragorn gave up, "Ride hard, both of you," he instructed, "Don't look back."

"_Run fast, Asfaloth! Run fast!" _Arwen commanded her horse as she rode towards Rivendell.

"What are you doing? Those Wraiths are still out there!" The brown-eyed hobbit yelled after Arwen.

"_Let's go Suldal,"_ Edleneth whispered to her horse. She nodded to Aragorn, and rode after Arwen, but in a slightly different direction.

After a short while, Edleneth found herself chased by two Ringwraiths. Smiling, she urged Suldal onward, but turned slightly so that she would reach Loudwater before she was overcome. The Wraiths took out their swords and forced their black mares to ride faster, so that they were almost on Edleneth's tail. _"Just a little longer,"_ Edleneth reassured Suldal, _"We'll be there soon." _In response, Suldal charged forward, gaining some space between Edleneth and her pursuers.

Suldal reached the river just in time, but Edleneth frowned when she saw that Arwen was there as well. She was on the other side of the river, opposite the other seven Ringwraiths. Edleneth rode across the river to Arwen's side. She frowned at the nine Ringwraiths on the other bank. They were safe for the time being.

"Give up the Halfling, She-Elf!" the leader of the Ringwraiths ordered in his raspy voice.

Arwen drew her sword. "If you want him, come and claim him!" she shouted at them. Edleneth stuck her tongue out at them.

The Ringwraiths, although obviously unwilling to enter the water, were forced to, for the call of the Ring upon them was too strong for them. As they brought their horses into the river, Arwen smiled and stated:

"_Waters of the Misty Mountains_

_Listen to the Great Word;_

_Flow, waters of Loudwater_

_Against the Ringwraiths!"_

Almost immediately, the waters of the river came rushing down, taking the images of horses. They stormed upon the Ringwraiths and washed them down the river. Edleneth laughed in triumph, but quickly frowned when she noticed Frodo's state. He had become paler, and his eyes were lolled to the back of his head.

"_Arwen,"_ she alerted her friend.

Arwen looked down and gasped, _"Frodo,"_ she called, _"Stay with me!"_ Arwen turned to Edleneth, helpless.

"_Hurry! Lord Elrond might still be able to save him!"_ Edleneth urged, _"I'll race you. You always ride faster that way." _She smiled sadly and rode down the path to Rivendell, Arwen at her heels.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Lord of the Rings. I only own Edleneth and any other characters I make up along the way, as well as the twists I put into the basic story. Elvish will be in italics.**

Edleneth shot the target with her bow. She and Arwen had arrived in Rivendell with Frodo (Arwen won the race), who was quickly rushed to Lord Elrond. It had been four days since then, and Frodo was recovering, although he still slept. Since she had nothing better to do, and was deeply worried about the poor hobbit, Edleneth had decided to work of her stress by practicing her archery skill. She frowned when she saw she had missed the middle by an inch.

"Getting rusty, are we?" Elrohir walked up to Edleneth's right, his brother on her left.

"That's why I'm practicing," Edleneth said calmly as she notched another arrow. Pulling back the string, she aimed at the target.

"Don't miss!" Elladan poked Edleneth's side just as she let go, ruining her aim and causing the arrow to miss the target completely.

"Elladan!" Edleneth turned to look at him with an angry glare, "Don't do that! I could hit someone!"

"Alright, I won't," Elladan sighed. Looking at him skeptically, Edleneth turned back to the target and notched another arrow. Readying her bow, she aimed at the target.

"Like this!" Elrohir jostled Edleneth's bow as she fired, making her arrow miss the target again.

"Elrohir!" Edleneth faced him, but gasped as Elladan snatched her bow out of her hands. She turned to fight him, but just as she whirled around, a fourth person came up to them.

"Greetings," he said. Elladan, Elrohir, and Edleneth turned to face the newcomer, who wore gray robes that were about the same color as his gray beard.

"Mithrandir," Elrohir nodded to him.

The wizard smiled. "I thought I would inform you that Frodo is awake."

"Wonderful!" Edleneth exclaimed, "How is he?"

"The wound will never fully heal," Mithrandir replied, "He will carry it for the rest of his life." The three elves nodded. "Now I must go, for there are things I must do. I believe more shall be discussed at the council tomorrow."

As the wizard walked away from them, Edleneth turned to the twins. "What council?" She asked them.

"The council tomorrow," Elladan explained, his voice lowered, "It's a secret gathering of elves, men, and," He took a deep breath, "Dwarves." Edleneth groaned at the name.

"Father sent us to tell you that you are invited," Elrohir continued, "But you must not tell anyone else."

"Is it about the Ring?" Edleneth whispered. The brothers nodded simultaneously. They stood in solemn silence for a minute, before Edleneth realized that Elladan still had her bow. Grabbing it out of his hands, she said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to finish practicing."

"Can we help?" Elrohir asked.

"No," Edleneth replied, "Go pick on Aragorn." The brothers shared a grin and walked away from Edleneth, who smiled and turned around to finish her archery practice. When it got dark, Edleneth put away her bow and arrows and began to walk back to her room when she saw the slight movement of a gown. Guessing it was Arwen's, Edleneth quietly followed, being careful not to be seen. She smirked when she discovered that she had indeed followed Arwen, and that she was about to witness a couple moment between her best friend and Aragorn, who looked downcast.

"_Do you remember when we first met?"_ Arwen asked, walking up to him.

"I thought I had wandered into a dream," Aragorn said wistfully.

"_Long years have passed. You did not have the cares you carry now," _Arwen said, looking into his eyes, _"Do you remember what I told you?"_

"_You said you'd bind yourself to me," _Aragorn replied instantly, _"Forsaking the immortal life of your people."_

"_And to that I hold,"_ Arwen told him,_ "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone." _She handed him her pendant, causing Edleneth's jaw to drop open._ "I choose a mortal life."_

"_You cannot give me this!"_ Aragorn protested, trying to give it back. Edleneth silently nodded in agreement.

"_It is mine to give to whom I will," _Arwen pushed the pendant into his hands, _"Like my heart."_ She smiled at Aragorn, who didn't try to give the pendant back, knowing that he couldn't win the argument.

Edleneth finally felt like she was intruding and silently snuck away from the couple and to her room, where she flopped on the bed and fell asleep thinking about the encounter she had just witnessed.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Lord of the Rings. I only own Edleneth and any other characters I make up along the way, as well as the twists I put into the basic story. Elvish will be in italics. Black Speech will be in bold.**

Edleneth slumped in her chair, waiting for the council to start. She was seated next to Elrohir, but neither of them was talking to the other, for they were too busy glaring at the dwarves across from them.

"_What are dwarves doing here anyway?"_ She hissed at Elrohir, glancing away from the dwarves to look at him.

"_The Ring is as much their problem as ours,"_ Elrohir sighed. With that, both elves resumed glaring. Elladan came and sat on Elrohir's other side, and, after seeing what they were looking at, joined them in glaring.

Lord Elrond walked to the center of the platform and began to speak. "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old," he greeted. Edleneth rolled her eyes. "You have been summoned here to answer to the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction; none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom," Elrond continued. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo," he commanded.

As the hobbit put the small golden ring on a pedestal in the center of the room, a fair-haired man with green eyes murmured, "So it is true." Edleneth eyed him warily as he stood and walked towards the Ring. "In a dream," he began, "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying 'The doom is near at hand, Isildur's Bane is found.'" His hand reached for the Ring. "Isildur's Bane," he whispered.

"Boromir!" Elrond cried at the man, who looked as if he were in a trance

Gandalf stood and shouted, "**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!**" The sky grew dark and the air rumbled as Gandalf spoke, and Edleneth felt as if her skin was burning off her body. The man, Boromir, backed away from the Ring.

"Never before has anyone dared utter words of that tongue here, in Imladris," Elrond looked at Gandalf.

"I do not ask for pardon, Master Elrond," Gandalf scowled, "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil," he insisted.

"But it is a gift," Boromir argued, "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?" He looked around, "Long has my father, te Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe!" he cried, "Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy! Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it," Aragorn said, standing up, "None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

Boromir looked at him with scorn. "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"

Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood, rose from his chair. "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn," he declared, "You owe him your allegiance."

Boromir looked at Aragorn dubiously. "Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas added.

Aragorn put his hand on Legolas's shoulder. _"Sit down, Legolas."_ The elf obeyed.

"Gondor has no king," Boromir stated, "Gondor needs no king."

"Aragorn is right," Gandalf agreed, "We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice," Elrond announced, "The Ring must be destroyed."

One of the dwarves, who had a bushy auburn beard, took out his axe. "What are we waiting for?" he roared and charged at the Ring. He hit it squarely with his axe, which shattered. The Ring, however, was unscathed.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess," Elrond addressed the dwarf, "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came!" He took a breath. "One of you must do this."

"One does not simply walk into Mordor," Boromir argued, "Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?" Legolas cried, "The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" The dwarf, Gimli, shouted.

"And if we fail, what then?" Boromir asked, "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Gimli roared. At that, every elf, Edleneth included, began to argue with every dwarf. "Never trust an Elf!" Gimli yelled over the din.

"Never trust a dwarf!" Edleneth shouted back, "The lesser children of Eru!"

"I will take it!" a small voice cried. All arguments stopped as every elf, human, and dwarf turned to look at Frodo. "Though, I do not know the way," he admitted.

"I will help you bear this burden," Gandalf said, "Frodo Baggins, for as long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn stepped forward. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," he told Frodo, "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas declared.

"And my axe," Gimli announced.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one," Boromir stated, "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

As Edleneth began to speak up to join them, the hobbit, Sam charged in. "Hey! Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!" he shouted.

"No indeed. It is hardly possible to separate you," Elrond laughed, "Even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Sam looked down, embarrassed.

"We're coming too!" Frodo's other hobbit friends ran in, surprising Lord Elrond. Merry, the one who had spoken before, said, "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!"

"Anyway," Pippin stated, "You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest…thing."

"That rules you out, Pippin," Merry told his friend.

Edleneth opened her mouth to volunteer to help, but Elrond cut her off, "Nine companions," he mused, "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Edleneth looked longingly at the group before her, but stayed silent.

"Great!" Pippin cried, "Where are we going?"


End file.
